


Meet the Family

by Child_of_Harpy (orphan_account)



Series: The Uncanny Valley (of the End) [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Cults, Religious Fanaticism, hmmm yes this was a good idea, let's be honest this is the Cult!Naruto fic that you never asked for, that's not a character sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2019-02-18 15:50:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 5,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13103478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Child_of_Harpy
Summary: (edited summary because i didn't plan for the fic to go the way it did, oops)Naruto, somewhere in the back of his head, is aware that the days he lives through are strange compared to the lives of other people, and he's always tried not to dwell on that. He'd learned a long time ago that thinking is only worth how much you act on it. The world, though, seems intent on making them even stranger, as well as more stressful for him, and after a series of oddly temporary kidnappings (of him), he's finally abducted for good by a cult with unclear intentions.





	1. Gather "Round

To Kakashi, the first red flag starts flying when Naruto shows up to the bridge later than him. It's not the most unusual thing, given that Naruto doesn't live very close to Team 7's meeting place, he supposes. Then a few more red flags start flying when Kakashi takes a closer look at Naruto and notices he's covered in blurred ink. He's unsure of where the markings could have come from. Naruto doesn't know any sealing, and he wasn't sure why anybody else would have written on him. A voice in Kakashi's head tells him to ask about them.

"Special occasion, Naruto?"

Naruto, who had previously been sort of sneaking past him in a very un-subtle way (he would have been very noticeable with or without the smudged ink) freezes, and for a moment, he doesn't do anything. After a minute, though, he turns around, looking very nervous. Kakashi wonderes briefly if the massive amount of sweat pouring down Naruto's face could wash the ink off. 

After another moment, Naruto replies with the convincing answer: "Ah, well, you see, I... tripped..."

"And?"

"Umm..."

"Well, really, I was bored, and, um... I drew on myself..."

"In kanji?"

"It just looks like kanji! I didn't write anything. Just... squiggles."

Kakashi was unimpressed.

"Listen, if you can wash it off, that'd be great. If not, well... I guess it's not that distracting."

Naruto fusses for a moment, insisting he can wash it off in the water, deliberating until Sasuke pushes him into the water. Emerging from the surface of the shallow river, the ink all over his skin even more smudged than before. With a smoldering glare, (Kakashi can't tell who Naruto is glaring at) he climbs out of the water, looking about ready to punch someone in the face.

Instead of doing that, though, he calms down, takes some deep breaths, and asks Kakashi if he can go back to his house to wash off properly.

Begrudgingly (kind of) Kakashi allows it.


	2. The First One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Just touch his skin, you'll be cured of rashes and diseases."
> 
> "He's a miracle child."

The first time Naruto is confronted by one of them, it's some (twenty years-old, maybe) woman, grabbing his arm with a hopeful look in her eyes and a smile like a mother.

Like a mother.

It's just some foreigner woman, probably looking for her blond son. It's happened once before. 

Except that she's not saying anything, not calling him a wrong name or hugging him tightly like he's seen happen to other lost kids. She stands there awkwardly, with a death grip on his arm, and the hope in her eyes turns to a kind of emotion he recognizes but does not know how to name, (he finds out later that it's called being resigned), and she sighs, turns her head and walks away.

Naruto is worried now. He's been mistaken as a foreigner's kid before, but that lady apologized and ran off almost immediately.

This one seemed sad, although again he knew what it was without having a name for it (why didn't the academy teach names for emotions?), and he knew she was berating herself inwardly for having done something she thought was dumb, and Naruto can't decide if he wants to chase after to apologize for making her feel that way or for asking why she did what she did.

He tells himself that he'll decide what to say when he catches her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaa oh no
> 
> also can somebody tell me if confidence in writing makes you better at writing?
> 
> i seriously don't know what i'm doing
> 
> also i hope you enjoyed this and i'm sorry for not saying that first in the notes 
> 
> i am also sorry for not updating sooner i was staying with my dad and grandparents for a week i think and i was busy and forgot my computer so i apologize for that
> 
> have a nice day
> 
> i'm also sorry this one is so short


	3. Not Ready

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He sees it, and does not follow.

Naruto is used to running. He's run from lots of things. Running from brooms, running from ninja after vandalizing things, running from the obvious sore topic that is his existence. He also runs from his emotions, shies away from talking about things like wanting food or friends or new clothes, and it's not an unfamiliar feeling.

What's not familiar is running toward things. Chasing things has never been a habit of his, and he knows when he's not wanted.

He doesn't know what he'll say when he catches the woman who grabbed his arm, and he starts to wonder if he'll catch her at all. 

He recalls the moment sharply, it hasn't been long. There's still adrenaline running through him, some area between his ribs and his lower stomach kind of quivering uncontrollably, and he remembers that when he met her eyes everything else seemed to matter less. (A possible predator, too close and too intense and he needs all the energy he can muster to make his possible escape, if things go south.) He had to focus on her, something he can't put his finger on had forced him to, and he has to find her and ask and he has to get to safety and-

No, he's not hurt.

He's fine.

He shouldn't have to affirm that, he should just know.

Actually, Naruto does know that. But something inside of him doesn't, and he has to make it quiet down so he can focus on not running into people. He realizes maybe five minutes later that there's no way he'll find her again.

When he gets home later that day, after having used a few ryo to stock up on cup ramen (he was running low) he was expecting a normal night of reflecting on his thoughts and rereading his used copy of the first chapter of "Powerful Dolphin King". After setting down his shopping bag, though, he sees a letter sitting on his table. He's kind of surprised to see it's in an actual envelope, given that the only notes he's ever gotten before have been just pieces of paper or brochures for vacation spots in the Land of Wind.

He decides to open it in the morning. Kyouryokuna Iruka-O is waiting for him, although he already knows that the fisherman is defeated by Ritoruburu in the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> is this the third chapter? i think so
> 
> how was it? i really hope you liked it
> 
> i feel a little bad for making you think he was gonna catch her, but i hope you're not mad or anything
> 
> thanks to the people who commented last chapter, saltrock_sea and loosingletters, i really appreciate it <3


	4. Where?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He doesn't understand it, and nobody is giving him any answers.

Naruto is pretty sure he's asleep.

He's at least 70% certain. Out of 100. (He's fairly certain that's how percentages work. He didn't pay very good attention when he eavesdropped on the older kid's class.)

And of course he's always had weird dreams, most of them revolving around things like not being able to catch ramen running away from him, or all his teeth getting really sharp. Mostly, his dreams have been about things like that, not people sitting around him painting on the floor and mumbling. 

Hmm.

As he's thinking of things he needs to do when he wakes up, the letter pops up at the forefront of his thoughts. He didn't read it last night, he realizes.

As he's busy wondering what the letter might have been about, there's a bright flash of light, and he wakes up on his floor, next to the bed.

Alright, maybe instead of reading his letter, he should see if that nearby alley-way clinic will check him for memory issues. 

Getting up off the floor and walking to the kitchen (good LORD he's hungry when was the last time he ate? Last night?) and sees the letter again. Making ramen only takes a few minutes, so he decides he'll read and eat at the same time. Opening the envelope proves to be a bit of an ordeal, but he finally gets it open to reveal a paper that reads:

"UZUMAKI NARUTO

WE ARE GOING TO (the word borrow is crossed out here) TAKE YOU TO OUR HOME TONIGHT. WE WILL RETURN YOU TO YOUR BED WHEN WE ARE DONE."

Well, now Naruto is annoyed. It already happened? And if that was it, what were they doing with him? Wasting black paint on the floor like that (could be used for things like painting a curly mustache on the Fourth's stone face) was something he was annoyed at, all the mumbling they were doing, that they did it without asking him, that they didn't at least send him home with some food-

There's a basket on his nightstand. Good lord.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mmmmm is the story getting exciting?? maybe
> 
> also, did they leave him with food or something else?
> 
> again, eternal gratitude to loosingletters and saltrock_sea for commenting, and please continue to enjoy the story!


	5. The Poster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every time something strange happens, the next day always feels so nice in comparison.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> basically a filler chapter i guess
> 
> i don't think this is writer's block i just don't have many ideas right now

Naruto is awake.

Naruto has _been_ awake.

He woke up before the sun rose, and has been awake since then. Other people are starting to wake up now. Heavy clouds are sitting kind of threateningly in the sky, and it's so humid his hair looks frizzier than it normally does. Cool, it's gonna rain today. 

Something interesting about the academy that only shinobi kids know: the Academy does not stop outdoors physical practice because of rain. Or snow. Even heatwaves are not always a reason to stop P.E., which usually means a day wearing tank-tops and shorts and ponytails, and Naruto is not looking forward to it.

He's also sore. Did he sleep on something?

He did. His manga. 

Naruto is hungry. He needs to eat.

There's a box on his table. It's lacquered and expensive looking, but Naruto trusts Kaguya Instant Ramen more than a box from some strangers.

It smells good, though. Pretty good.

Really good.

Well, just a look couldn't hurt. (Naruto is firmly ignoring the idea of a trap inside of a box _that_ expensive-looking.)

It's... some cookies. Shaped like a cartoon sun, but the color is wrong. Some idiot frosted the sun-cookies with red. The sun isn't red, everyone knows that. Although... he assumes the box is from the weird people with the paint, (the ones that abducted him) given that it appeared after he read the letter. And given that they were wasting paint and _his time_ , he couldn't imagine they were very smart.

The cookies taste pretty good, though.


	6. The Cookies (Were a Mistake)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cookies were a mistake. The cookies were a massive mistake.

The cookies were a mistake.

That's all Naruto can think about. 

It had to have been the cookies. It's the only feasible option. He ate them and they had drugs in them and where _is_ he? There are people everywhere and Naruto swears to whatever god that if they're doing the paint thing again he'll scream.

He is gagged.

Ok.

Naruto supposes his next option (and probably more logical option) is to just run. He thinks he probably shouldn't be in this place he is unconsciously thinking of as "bad-place-paint-waste-strangers", although he wonders if he really can leave because after all, he _is_ gagged, and he can't actually feel the rest of his body.

One of them is approaching him. It's a person of kind of indeterminate making, because there's a massive cloak covering the person's body. (Naruto, for the briefest moment, has the stupid thought that it's actually the scary rabbit from his dreams under that cloak, but there's no way that's the case.)

Oh god, the cloaked thing is speaking to him in whisper-shouting.

"Kid, I'm getting you out of here. I'm bringing you home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so i understand i've been gone for a while and also this is another short chapter but i have to sleep so sorry  
> also if you don't know where the rabbit is from i haven't written about it  
> maybe i will  
> ok sorry have a good night


	7. This is not a Good Thing.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ugh. Really? 
> 
> More cultists.
> 
> (THERE'S A SWEAR WORD IN THIS CHAPTER BE CAREFUL)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i dont think i ended this chapter very well   
> so, who do y'all think yako is? if you guess in the comments i'll reply. (won't spoil the story tho)

And then Naruto wakes up in bed.

Well, it's _a_ bed. Not his.

So he's been kidnapped again, obviously, but he still doesn't have a solution to the various kidnappings he has experienced, and he's starting to worry that these might just continue until he dies of old age or the small heart attacks he has every time he wakes up surrounded by weird people.

_"Kid, I'm getting you out of here. I'm bringing you home."_

Yeah, that's the last thing Naruto remembers hearing. Probably not a good sign. Sure, that person (who could still be a nightmare rabbit under that cloak) _said_ they were bringing him home, but Naruto isn't sure he trusts people who show up _during_ his kidnappings to tell him they're bringing him somewhere.

To be fair, though, they did have the decency to put him in a (very comfortable) bed instead of just leaving him on the floor. 

And not a drop of black paint in sight.

And,-OH GOD WHAT IS THAt it's a boy. A few years older than him, maybe. Dark brown eyes, lighter brown hair, freckles- pretty average looking. What's this guy doing here? Was he also kidnapped by the cloaked thing? Naruto could see that being the case.

"Hey, you woke up! I'll get Yako-nii, and he can give you the orientation. I'll be right back, don't worry."

Ok, that's worrying Naruto. This unnamed boy walks up to him while he's waking up, say's he'll get someone named "Yako-nii", and just leaves without explaining anything.

Damn it all, nobody is telling him anything!


	8. Yako-nii

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family sticks together, but this isn't Naruto's family. It can't be. He won't let it be.
> 
>  
> 
> (imma say Naruto is about 9yr old in this. Yako is however old u want him to be, inside the range of 15-17 yrs old. not that many options i guess)

Naruto has a thing that he does. He learned about it from a book someone had thrown away. It told him to stop once in a while to collect his thoughts and/or review what's happened recently. So, it's just habit to sort through his head every now and then and review. 

1\. Kidnapped.

2\. Kidnapped.

3\. Kidnapped.

...well, nobody said his recent events had to all be different. But thinking back on all his kidnappings, Naruto realizes something very important. It resonates deep in his soul.

He hasn't _really eaten_ for the last two or three days. Naruto wonders if he can ask the kid from before (or whoever Yako is) for some food when he comes back.

Then, his eardrums are destroyed by the sound of someone opening the door WAY TOO FAST.

"AH!" 

Someone is hugging him- someone is patting his face, ruffling hair- checking his eyes?- and Naruto tries hard not to panic about this _sudden person_.

"Oh god, are you okay? Goodness, you don't weigh hardly anything, and your hair... hey, did I startle you? Gosh, I'm sorry... my name is Yako. This is my lil' brother Satsuki. This is our home, and you're going to be part of the Family now."

Naruto isn't sure he likes the way Yako says family.


	9. The Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto doesn't really like it when people touch him. He's flinched in the past when people gripped his shoulders too tightly and he'll flinch in the future when his sensei ruffles his hair. He probably won't grow out of that in another world.
> 
> In this one, he'll just have to get used to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im the most fucking irresponsible person i haven't done this for forever and im kind of regretting it because i know i don't have any talent or skill for writing but damnit ill keep going because i like the idea and ill let somebody else do my art when im dead. only then. this is my failed state and im going to try to sustain it

At first, Naruto doesn't like Yako very much. He's loud and happy in a way that Naruto thinks is weird (it turns out later that the word for that is "flamboyant") and he seems overall too concerned with Naruto's well-being. He's constantly checking on Naruto like "Have you eaten today?" or "How much sleep did you get last night?" or "Don't forget to brush your teeth and take showers, ok?" It's very strange to have someone worry about how he's doing so often. He wants to appreciate the concern, really, but he hardly knows this man and he's _always_ there.

In the future, Naruto wishes he had been able to understand why the man was so worried about him.

In the present, Naruto is worried about the man. About lots of things. Satsuki is skinny and pale, and even though he sees the boy eat he doesn't seem to gain any weight. He's also very flexible, which is a nice parlor trick until it becomes Satsuki "pretending to break his thumb" or Satuski putting his leg behind his back (or even the weird one where he falls down stairs to amuse people. The only "parlor trick" part of that is that he can make it look like someone pushed him.)

And to be fair, Naruto has lots of options for worrying (see above) and too much time for worrying. People at the weird cult building never ask him to do anything and Yako actually restrained him once when he tried to help clean the floor, so he doesn't spend time working. There are books to read but Naruto's only just learning to read, and they don't have a television (they don't even have a radio!) So most of his attention is spent either hanging out with Satsuki or being on his own in his new room that he did not ask for or want. Really, despite the admittedly poor condition of his old apartment, he enjoyed living there more than he enjoyed living in Yako's "house" (he struggled to think of it as a house because it was more like a clan compound.)

After what he thinks is probably a week, he finds his copy of the first chapter of Powerful Dolphin King sitting on his bed. On the shelf nearby, the bright orange chopsticks he always uses for ramen (and sometimes rice) are sitting next to his potted plant Midoriyari-chan (his beloved agave.) Things from his house were in his new room.

Did they know he had been missing his home?

He asks Yako about it at supper.

"Oh, Naruto..."

"Yeah?"

"You were being really obvious."

"Oh... so... you knew."

"Honey, I just said you were being obvious. Not to cause offence or anything, just... you know. I figured I would put you out of your obvious misery."

"Well, thanks.


	10. "You're Sick."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto remembers a dream he had.
> 
> It was full of hydrangeas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Finally, most of the work on my project is done, so I'm allowing myself a little break. Actually have kind of a plan for this chapter so I'm excited.
> 
> Woohoo!
> 
> Also bigthanks to all the reviewers, as always. Happy to see new faces. Remember, if you have anything to say at all, even if it doesn't have much to do with the story, feel free to put it in a comment, yeah? I'll listen to whatever you have to say.

When Naruto wakes up, he's standing in a pool of water. Small flowers and petals float on the water, which is a transparent pale green. He sniffs the air and smells some kind of smoke. In front of him is a long hallway, identical doors lining each side. He can't see the end of the hallway. 

He's confused. Nothing about this place is familiar. The room he's standing in is a sort of circle, with the roof held up with pillars and nothing else. Light shines in weakly through the pillars but seems to have no source. At the very perfect center of the domed ceiling is a round, red stone. It's not very big, perhaps the size of a marble. It generates a light of its own, one that is only barely reflected in the pool Naruto stands in at the center of room, which comes up to his mid-shin.

Naruto steps out of the pool, and immediately feels a disconnect. The room wavers for a second, graying and snapping and creaking, before righting itself and stabilizing. The pool itself looks untouched, not a single ripple on the surface. 

The end of the hallway is visible now that Naruto has left the pool, and the smell of smoke is stronger. Looking up, the light from the red stone is brighter than it was before, and the light coming in through the pillars seems somewhat muted in comparison.

He takes a step. The echo of his sandaled feet is unnaturally loud on the marble floor. Then again, Naruto muses, he's never set foot on real marble before. It's just as beautiful as had been described, though it seemed to be the least of his concerns at the moment. 

He takes another step and keeps going. He passes through the hallway in a daze, focusing less on walking and more on seeing. Every door is identical except for the doorknob. Some are elegant handles, others are simple and sturdy. One looks to be carved from emerald and the other is shabby and the metallic coloring is worn in places. There's even one door, closer to the end of the hallway, with no doorknob at all.

That is not the last handle-less door Naruto see in the hallway. 

He tries to open one at some point. The door opens but there's nothing on the other side, just a sort of ambiguous darkness. The door doesn't make a sound when he closes it again. He keeps walking.

The end of the hallway is very close when Naruto hears a crash from behind him. A pillar is falling, headed straight for the pool. Naruto runs to the end of the hallway as fast as he can.

Before he can reach the end, he wakes up.

He'd slept on his manga again.


	11. "You Won't Get Better."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He's asleep again. Yesterday had been uneventful.
> 
> But he's back at the room.

The next time Naruto wakes up in that strange place, he's already at the end of the hallway. Looking behind him, the room with the pool is calm. No pillars collapsing, though the red stone still shines bright.

He turns to face the end of the hallway. The door is made of a dark wood. The doorknob is a sturdy metal. Not a very showy door overall, but still pleasant.

Naruto supposes he should stop delaying.

There's only so much time for delaying.

He grabs on to the handle. The door creaks a little and opens with some force (it is a fairly heavy door.) He walks inside. The room seems normal, although on closer inspection, it doesn't fit with the previous room. All brick and wood, no marble, no pool. A desk sits off to one side, and a number of bookshelves nearby. A vase full of zinnias sits in a space on the shelf that isn't occupied by books or other trinkets. Here and there on the shelves Naruto sees little carvings of seemingly random animals. A slug, a monkey... various others. Most of the books are blank, undefinable colors and no titles. A few have titles, but none of them mean anything to Naruto: _Notes on the Five Great Continents_ , _Clockwork Sky_ , and one labeled _First Life_. 

There is another door. This one is different, all shiny polished wood and coloured glass panes. Beyond is a dirt tunnel. There is a cobbled path on the floor, and Naruto realizes that though the tunnel splits off in some places, the path does not- it is one route to one destination, he thinks. How refreshing.

Part way through his exploration down the path, he starts to notice flowers. Rhododendrons and begonias. He likes begonias. The flowers get bigger and number more the further he goes, and even start to invade the path he walks.

After a while, a single blue oleander sprouts between the cobbles, right before his eyes.

He's never had much to do with oleander flowers, doesn't know much about them. At the same time, Naruto assumes that oleanders don't grow in the span of a few minutes. He wonders if it's magic, or the stuff ninja do with their "energy" or something. Even as he wonders, it begins to wilt. In just another minute, it is dust on the stones.

What a strange flower. What kind of life was that to live? To appear suddenly, to live for no purpose, and to disappear just as fast? It was unfulfilling and a little disheartening when Naruto thought about it.

He kept going. 

Eventually, the cobbled path stopped at a wall. 

That was where the dream ended as well.


	12. Burnt Edges of a Page in a Book

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group is moving and Naruto feels sick.
> 
> This place is not his home, but... they're moving, and Naruto doesn't get a say in the matter.
> 
> He feels cold, too.

After he tells Yako of the dreams, strange things begin to happen almost immediately. They begin asking him about the dreams, how well he remembers them, details he can remember, feelings and sensations and everything Naruto had taken for granted.

It's unpleasant for him. His dreams have always sort of been his own business, and he only ever told people about them because they were funny or weird, not because he wanted to be quizzed on his memory. After a few hours, things calm down a little and dinner is served. The meal feels a little awkward in the beginning, and that feeling only gets worse when Yako clears his throat and makes an odd announcement:

"Our group will be moving locations in a week. It is your choice whether you come with the group or leave us. Let it be known that members who choose to leave will be sworn to silence. The outside world can never know of our actions, of any of us or what we do. Those of you who plan to stay, we will migrate in groups of three or four and be dressed as regular citizens on the street."

Someone interrupts "What about henge? Might seem suspicious that so many buy clothes all at once."

He responds with: "We can't risk henge. As far as clothing, you're welcome to wear anything that won't be suspicious. If you need new clothes so badly, we'll make a schedule for people buying clothes."

He says a few other things, addresses some people specifically to ask about their children and the plan for moving them, talks about the new location, but not really directly revealing what or where it is. 

It is only when Yako directly addresses him that Naruto pays more attention.

"Naruto, you'll be moving in my group. I'll be your older brother, you and Satsuki will be my younger brothers. You'll also be disguised."

Through all of this statement, Satsuki is sitting to Naruto's left, nodding and agreeing and _not questioning any of it._

Turbulent emotions make themselves known in Naruto and he wants to express them. Do anything, scream, throw something...

He cannot. Those thoughts occupy his mind but he refuses to act on them.

Still... the whole thing feels non-negotiable. Naruto doesn't like that. He's always had a distaste for the non-negotiable (in a way that he will come to view as somewhat childish in the future) and often wishes for a way to change things.

Naruto is so distracted the rest of the night that he barely notices when he gets in bed and wakes up to the smell of flowers and smoke.


	13. Fragments of Gold at the Center of a Blooming Flower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i wanted to hide from you
> 
> "Why?"
> 
> i'm shameful
> 
> "...Why?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ay yo its ya boy with a nickname that can't be memed effectively
> 
> i'm back to post again
> 
> i've also got something else in mind, keep an eye out for that.
> 
> please enjoy the experience to the fullest of your ability.

Naruto falls and falls and falls so far he thinks he must have stopped at some point he can't remember. The sweet smell of smoke is so strong now that it nearly drowns out the already unbearable scent of fresh and wilting flowers.

He finds himself standing at the end of a cobbled path in a dirt tunnel. Beside him, a pinwheel sticks out of the wall, painted cutely in red and gold and a muted white color. It spins in a direction he can't discern. Another door in front of him.

It is a solid metal door, rusting at the bottom edges like it holds in water. Through a little empty peephole inexplicably near his eye level, he can see silhouettes. Naruto wonders at their shape, how gentle and unformed they look from his side of the door. 

It opens before him.

A voice calls out to him and asks what he wants.

Naruto cannot see the source of the voice and does not answer.

"do you see that flower"

It is such a faint voice that he can barely hear it. But, looking around, he does see _a_ flower. It's... bigger than he expected. All closed up and taller than him. He speaks to the open air in place of a direction and says he sees the flower.

"place your fingers on it... just the first and second, no others."

Naruto moves to touch the flower bud, placing his thumb and pointer both on the petal closest to him (which has to be at least four feet wide.)

Nothing happens.

"the other first and second, not starting with your thumb..."

He does so, and the room is suddenly full of a light the color of spring and autumn and he hears the sound of something snapping as something pulsing and sobbing and _alive_ nearly rockets out of the flowerbud.

The taste of begonia petals fades away on his tongue as flower petals swirl around him like so many snowflakes-

and he is suddenly face-to-face with a creature his mind can barely register. Its face seems to shift from vertex to vertex and line to line, and nothing about it is very stable even though all of it wordlessly speaks of cold sunsets seen from indoors and witnessed over a skyline Naruto has never heard of. It feels... safe.

It speaks again, its voice now seemingly restored from its previous frail mumble: 

"Yes... You are the one I was expecting."


	14. Those Who Came Before, Suhai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It is most fortunate to see tragedy from far-off fields"
> 
> "That's not true."
> 
> "Depends on how much you're thinking about the statement"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi

_"Yes... you are the the one I was expecting." ___

__He plays those words in his mind all through the day. Yako thinks something is up but Naruto is a little too tired to get invested in what Yako thinks about him. That being said, he's not tired enough to ignore that Satsuki is holding his lunch away from him._ _

__Satsuki's demand for ransom?_ _

__"What's up with you today? You're almost never so moody like this."_ _

__Satsuki says it like he didn't realize Naruto could be moody._ _

__He mulls the decision over. Yes, he doesn't really feel like talking to Satsuki right now, but... _lunch _. He decides to just try and say as little as possible.___ _

____"I didn't sleep well."_ _ _ _

____Satsuki looks a little disappointed with the answer._ _ _ _

____"Aww, that's it? I guess there was no point in asking, then."_ _ _ _

____He sits down next to Naruto._ _ _ _

____"Sorry about that, though."_ _ _ _

____Naruto doesn't have it in him to respond._ _ _ _

____Instead, he thinks back to the space he met _that _in. It struck him as a sort of deep maroon pink color, though it could have been dark cyan or maybe a pale navy. The flower itself had seemed illuminated from inside itself. Naruto wonders if _that _might have been the source of the light, though _it _seemed more like the sun than a nightlight._______ _ _ _

__________The end of the day seems to approach all too quickly from there._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Naruto sits on his bed and hugs his legs to his chest._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________He wants to recall the feeling that place gave him. ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	16. Alternatively, Allow Yourself to be Subjugated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Even children have responsibilities. In some cases, this forfeits their right to be called children."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not as long a gap that time but still, sorry. wish I could promise you guys a more consistent schedule. hope you enjoy the chapter.
> 
> also, bit of a long one this time (comparatively)

She opens her eyes to look at her ceiling, the panels mottled grey and not yet painted in morning light. The clock next to her reads the time as 04:00 AM.

It's too early for this, but she knows she will not be going back to sleep now.

She sits up and swings her knees off the side of the bed, feet landing on cold hardwood floors. She bends down to put some socks on (it's very chilly this morning, she hadn't expected that in May) and strands of pink hair fall into her face.

She sits at her desk to brush that hair, runs through it with a hard-bristle brush and one-hundred carefully measured strokes. In a fit of wishful thinking she lets it hang, for just a moment, suspended around her shoulders and ears. She does this only for a minute before tossing it behind her and beginning to braid it instead.

It was a nice thought, at least.

In another five minutes she is ready, red combat dress falling to her mid thigh and shorts of a durable nature covering until the knee. Bandages leading to ninja boots (a footwear generally preferred by those specializing in close-range fighting) with straps secured tightly. Her arms, as well, are bandaged (to hide little wounds and an uglier scar) and her hands are covered by heavy-duty gloves.

She has no headband now, but she will. It is only a matter of time.

She looks at herself one more time. There's still something she has to do, has to prepare for.

 _Sakura._ That name is the last thing she wants to wear. It's beautiful, yes, delicate and flowery- but it is also fragile. She feels it will break apart under the weight of her responsibilities.

_it reminds her too much of who had to die for that._

But if she doesn't start now, she won't start at all.

Sakura is ready to face the day.

 

\- - -

 

He opens his eyes to look at the wall, painted white just under his window-sill.

He sees the sun has not risen yet. He does not need a clock to know that any other child should still be asleep.

He is not a child anymore.

He pushes the quilt off his body (that quilt that his brother had sewed so lovingly) and sits up. He doesn't want to get out his bed, of course, but the day waits for no-one.

His bangs fall into his face as he leaves bed but he doesn't mind that much. They're always doing that.

The wood flooring underneath his feet is cold as he wanders around his room getting ready. He grabs a shirt from the floor in the corner (it's clean enough, the fan symbol is unstained) and thank god he has some clean shorts in his closet. 

He secures his arm warmers and bandages up his legs before fastening his ninja sandals tightly around his ankles and feet. 

He kneels before the altar in the hall and offers a prayer to Susanoo before applying the traditional red dots at the bottom corners of his eyes.

Walking out to the living room, he is greeted by his brother sitting by the fire (it really is quite cold this morning) and working on one of his latest projects; a quilt in shades of faded navy and pale magenta.

He dislikes the colors but he's not the one quilting, so...

His brother notices him.

"Good morning, Sasuke-chan. Off to school now, are we?"

Itachi's soft voice drifts over to Sasuke. His voice wasn't always that weak, but it's hard now to remember a time when it wasn't.

Sasuke doesn't want to go to school.

He's just doing this because he has to.

 

\- - -

 

Naruto opens his eyes to the room again, greeted faintly by the sight of that amorphous creature once again. It turns to face as if aware of his presence without a sound.

"Good morning, Naruto-chan. Did you see the news this morning?" cattails sprout around its form as it sits hunched in the shallow water, scribbling into some kind of massive notebook.

Naruto has never watched the news. He didn't own a TV at his old apartment and the group he's staying with now doesn't have _any_ technology like that.

"No." is his reply.

"Ah, right. No television set, I remember now. Well, then, would you like me to tell you?" cobaea flowers where they should not grow.

It continues before he can respond.

"They're talking about your _'disappearance'_. It's clear they have no idea about anything, really, but at the very least they're worried. Of course that's just because you're supposed to be their jinchuuriki, but what do they know?" its got what might be a nasty look on its face, but Naruto can't quite see it past the veil of long silverish fur currently growing over its face.

He sighs quietly. He's not sure why it talks so candidly when it's so callous.

"Oh, don't be that way, Naruto-chan. You could be stuck with someone much worse than I."

Naruto wonders at that. Who else could he have been stuck with?

The conversation doesn't continue beyond that.

Naruto sits on the edge of the unfurled flower that _it_ had emerged from, water drifting lazily around his ankles. 

The thing was somehow different than from when it had first appeared to him, a lot less serene than it had seemed at first.

Of course, he's not sure what he could do about that. Nothing, really.

"I'd better get going," he calls out to the thing. It's humming a little tune under its breath, something that brings to mind a room with a blackout shade pulled over the window.

'Odd' is the last thing he thinks before rather ungracefully ejecting himself from _its_ space.

**Author's Note:**

> hey guess what that's the end of the first chapter sorry if it was bad i've never written before to publish. you don't have to like this but please tell me what i did wrong or right so i can fix it
> 
> or if you want me to stop i can do that, too! i hope it wasn't that bad


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